Equestrians Fight to Save Lifestyle, Open Space : Thousand Oaks: United in an effort to preserve land for show rings and trails, the horse community has become a force against development.

Buffered only by a row of trees from the din of the Moorpark Freeway, Chrissy Rochford put her 5-year-old horse Randy through a workout at Waverly Arena.

To get there from her home, Chrissy and her horse crossed beneath the freeway twice, traversed several busy intersections and rode dangerously close to whizzing traffic on Janss Road.

But her brush with modern-day Thousand Oaks ended the moment she trotted into the publicly owned arena.

There, away from the cars and the rows of houses, 14-year-old Chrissy could prepare for a weekend show that would unite those who still see Thousand Oaks as a rural, horse-dominated town.

Joined in the fight to save space for show rings and horse trails, the Thousand Oaks equestrian community has become a tight-knit political force working to reverse a tide of development.

At the monthly horse shows, such as Sunday’s show at Waverly Arena, Chrissy and about 100 other horse enthusiasts come together to celebrate their way of life.

“Our shows are a monthly reminder of what we’ve been working to maintain here,” said Gina Smurthwaite, president of the local chapter of Equestrian Trails Inc., a national nonprofit open space preservation group. “We come here to keep all of our traditions alive.”

While shows are held at a handful of arenas around Thousand Oaks, Waverly is the only public space devoted to the artistry of show riding.

Every month, volunteers from Corral 37 of Equestrian Trails organize the shows. Participants compete in 40 categories--ranging from bareback riding to show jumping.

The competition is not fierce and is not part of any national circuit. It is friendly competition--a way for riders of all experience levels to practice their skills and work out with their horses.

“Both young kids and adults come out to ride in the shows,” said Kathy Shafer, the show chairwoman. “It’s a competition, but it’s also a chance to enjoy a day outside with the horses.”

But, Shafer said, the rumble of the nearby freeway is a constant reminder that the future for the horse community in Thousand Oaks is uncertain.

“There is a constant concern that at some point all of this land is going to be taken away,” Shafer said. “We put on these shows so that there is always an outlet for people to use their horses, and to keep interest in maintaining the space to ride.”

The fear of the equestrian community is not unfounded. Of the four major show rings in the area, three will probably be forced to clear out of the path of development in a few years.

Jeff Alexander, chairman of the Conejo Open Space Trails Advisory Committee, has been following the negotiations between the landowners and the arenas.

Equestrian facilities on the Seventh-day Adventist property, on the north campus of Cal Lutheran University and on the property of the proposed Dos Vientos development all could be forced to move in several years, Alexander said.

“Our goal is to keep all of the facilities up and running, and if they need to be moved they should be moved to public land,” Alexander said.

“On privately owned property, the equestrian land is left alone until the financial lure of development becomes too great,” he explained. “The public land is much less liable to be developed.”

At the request of the Thousand Oaks City Council, Alexander and other members of his open space advisory board drew up a series of recommendations for managing equestrian land in the future.

Included in those recommendations, now being reviewed by city planners, are proposals to create two new equestrian centers in publicly held open space.

Both would be larger than the 26-acre Waverly Arena, would house 200 horses, and would provide access to the 70 miles of trails that already accommodate horseback riders in the Conejo Valley.

“There are obviously equestrian facilities that are going to be affected by major developments and we are working to come up with ways to provide alternative facilities,” said Mark Towne, the city planner who handles open space issues.

“I think the constant pressure and involvement from the equestrian community has pushed this into the position of being a priority for the city,” Towne said.

Several of the approximately 2,500 horse owners in Thousand Oaks said they became politically involved because of their devotion to the equestrian lifestyle.

Most live in tight-knit, horse-zoned neighborhoods around the city, where they are in almost constant contact with horses. They have stables in their yards, and most spend several hours a day caring for the horses.

“Our desire for open space comes from the fact that these horses are like members of the family,” Shafer said.

“Some of them live to be 30 years old,” she said. “They’re like children that never move out of the house.”

Michael Enge, 14, said his horse Hasty is one of his closest friends.

“In the summer when I don’t have to worry about school I’m with her every day,” he said. “She’s a big part of my heart. If she was to die it would be like losing my brother or my dad.”

Michael, who was at Waverly Arena last week practicing for Sunday’s show, said he hopes to see the equestrian community left alone.

“I think learning to ride and compete with my horse has been a great way to grow up,” he said. “I hope it’s always this way.”

FYI

The ETI Corral 37 Horse Show will be held Sunday at Waverly Arena, near Janss Road and the Moorpark Freeway. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m., with English riding events beginning at 8 a.m. and Western events beginning at 12:30 p.m. The fee to compete is $5.